Apparatus for making fibrous material



March 25, 1930. R. l.. I CJoMls RJSLSGG APPARATUS FOR MAKING FIBROUS MATERI-AL Filed May ll 1929 Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ,RALPH L. LOOMIS, OF BOSTON', MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO C. F. BURGESS LABORA- TORIES, INC., OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION F DELAWARE AIFARATUS FOR MAKING FIBROUS MATERIAL Original application filed Aug'ust 5, 1926, Serial No. 127,291. Divided and this application led May 11,

' l 1929.V Serial No. 362,163.

' This invention relates particularly to relatively thick and rigid pulp board, adapted for use in the construction of buildings and for other purposes. p One object is to provide a laminated pulp board which includes facing or liner Webs forming the opposite sides of the board, and a filler web interposed between the facing webs, the fibersof the facing webs extending longitudinally of the board, while the fibers of the filler web extend in different directions, crosswise of the board, the arrangement of the fibers being such that they collectively oppose strains tending to bend and crack the board in any direction. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

0f theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationf- Figure 1 shows in perspective, a portion 2o of an incomplete pulp board constructedfin accordance with theinvention, one of the facing layers being partially broken away, and the remaining portion partially displaced. Figure 2 is atop plan view of the same. Figure 3 shows in elevation and somewhat diagrammatically, the apparatus hereinafter described.

Figure 4 is a section taken on, the line 4 4 a0 0f Figure 3, looking toward the right and showing in side elevation and somewhat Adiagrammatically, the filler web-forming and delivering element hereinafter described.

Figure 5 shows in perspective one of the 85 rolls shown by Figures 3 and 4, and the websubdividing doctor hereinafter described.-

Figure 6 is a view similar to aportion of Figure 3, the primary and secondaryfacing l of'the rolls 32'and33 are parallel with'th'e Figure 7 showsin perspective a portion of,

web-forming elements being omitted. 4u

the conveyor and .aport-ion of a laminated web formed thereon, without 'facing webs.

The same reference characters indicate thel same parts in all of the figures.4 A suitable apparatus for carrying out'my invention is shown more or less diagrammati- ,cally, by Figures 3 and 4, and comprises an lendless conveyor or belt 12, having an up,

wardly facing upper stretch and mounted on suitable rollers 13, means (not shown) being web and band pass between the periphery of deliveringthe filling web 28,. upon a portion s provided for moving the upper stretch in the. direct)ion indicated bythe arroww. (Figure 3 The apparatus comprises also a primary bottom web-forming element, designated asa whole by 14, includi-ngmeans for formin a bottom web 15 of pulp, and means for de? livering the web tothe conveyor. In this instance, the primary .element includes .a vat 16, supplied with pulp, and a cylinder mold 17, having a/foraminous periphery rotatable in the vat and adapted to raise theV ,beginning of the web 15 therefrom, and present it to an endless `band 18, in a well known Y manner. The layer and band pass between the periphery of the cylinder mold -and a couch roll 19, and are guided by rolls 20, 21 and l22 to a roll 23, supported above the conveyor 12. A doctor 24 detaches the web from the roll 23, so that the web is deposited on the conveyor 12 and is moved progres? sively endwise by the latter in apredetermined path, under an intermediate elementof the apparatus, designated .as a whole by 25'. Either of the rolls supporting theband 18 may be positively driven to move the band and progressively feed'the web.l Y f ,3 The intermediate element, showr' lelevation by Figure 4, is adapted to formand deliver a' filler web 28. Said elementincludes so a vat 26, supplied with pulp, a cylinder mold `27, rotatable in the vat andladapted to raise the beginning o-f the lllerfw'eb 28 therefrom', and present it to an endless band-29'. The,

the cylinder mold; 27 and a couch roll30, and are' guided 4by rolls 31 "and H32 to a roll 33, supported above'the lconveyor 12. The axes path of the bottom web15, and said rolls are '90 reciprocated Vcrosswisee of said' path, 'as indicated by full and dotted lines inFigure 4,' so4 that they constitute reciprocating means for of the bottom web-15, in a series of folds 28a extending crosswise of the 'p ath of Ethe, -moving bottom web. The movement of the bottom web,`therefore, imparts' a zigzag form to the filler web, the folds-28%l extending obliquely across the bottom web, as indicated by 10.0'

Figure 2. The folds of the filler Web include a series of top stretches, indicated by full lines,and a series of bottom stretches, indicated by dotted lines, in Figure 2, the bottom stretches contacting with the bottom facing web. The arrows in Figure 2 indicate the directions taken by the top and bottom stretches of the filler web; A doctor 35 detaches the filler web 28 from the roll 33, so that the web is deposited on the bottom web 15. As best shown by Figure 5, the doctor 35 may be provided with a series of upstanding knives 36, adapted to subdivide the filler web 28 into ribbons 28b which are laid side by side on the bottom web. A

The axes of the rolls 32 and 33 may be connected by any suitable means, so that they are permanently associated an-d caused to nipthe interposed filler web. These rolls may be loosely rotatable, the progressive movement of the web being caused by positively rotating another roll, such as the roll 31. In this instance, the couple formed by the rolls 32 and 33 is connected by a member 38 (Figure 3) with a belt 39, running on pullyes 40 and 4l, journaled in fixed bearings. The belt may be driven by any suitable means, first in one direction, and then in the opposite 1direction, so that it reciprocates the rolls 32 and 33 between the limits shown by the full and dotted lines in Figure 3, the direction of movement of the belt being automatically reversed at suitable intervals. I

Finally the apparatus includes a secondary facing Web-forming element, designated as a whole by 42, having means for forming a top facing Web 44. This element may be in all essential particulars a duplicate of the element 14, and is spaced from the latter, so that the two elements are at opposite sides of the intermediate element 2 The top facing web 44 is deposited by the delivering means of the secondary element 42, upon the top stretches of the moving filler web 28, and is moved longitudinally by thev movement of the bottom and filler Webs.

The laminate-d structure produced as above described, is carried from the secondary element 42 by the conveyor 121, and may be subsequently treated in any desired manner, to adaptit for use. i

The band 29 4of the intermediate element may be maintained at a uniform tension by a loose-Weighted roll 43, supported in a bight of the band depending between two guide rolls 45, e

lThe invention is not limited tojthe produc` tion of pulp board which includes the facing Webs 15 and 44, and may b e carried out byforming and 'depositing only the Web 28 on a continuously moving support, such as the conveyor 12, as indicated by Figures 6 and 7, the primary and secondary facing web-forming and depositing elements 14 and 42 being I per web, means for laying omitted from an apparatus employed in practising the invention.

It will be seen that the invention is carried l out by continuously forming an elongated ferent directions, so that the board has equal,

or approximately equal tensile strength and stiffness in a number of dilferent'directions, and does not have a superior tensile strength and stiffness in one direction only. This statement applies to board made as last described, with reference to Figures 6 and 7, as Well las te board made as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The board may be made of any desired thickness. Owing to the fact that .the layers are formed while the pulp is wet,

they are better felted or caused to adhere to each other, than whenlayers of dry, or approximately dry pulp are superimposed on each other.

The object of subdividing the Web 28 into ribbons before it is deposited on a moving support, is to enable it to be folded to form the described zigzag stretches Without liability of forming wrinkles or irregular protuberances at and near the folds. The Web may be subdivided into ribbons by any other suitable means. I

This application is a division of my copen'ding application, Serial N o. 127,291, filed August 5, 1926 (now Patent No. 1,737,284 granted November 26, 1929). In the present application the claims are directed to the apparatus and in theparent application the claims are directed to the product and process.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, means for slitting a moist pulp Web and means for laying down overlapping folds of4 said moist pulp web.

2. In a multi-ply paper machine of the cylinder type, means for slitting a moist pulp web and means for laying down overlapping folds of said moist pulp web upon a moving conveyor. v 1

3. In a machine for making a thick sheet of paper in continuous lengths, the combination of means for slitting a thin moist padown overlapping folds of said moist pulp web, and means for spacing said individual folds from each other.

4. In a machine for making a thick sheet of paper from a single thin pulp web, the combination of means for slitting a thin moist pulp web, means for laying down over- .lapping folds of said moist pulp web, and

meansA for spacing said individual folds in the machinev direction of the finished sheet.

5. In a machine for making afibrous sheet, the combination of means for slitting a pulp web and means for laying down overlapping folds of said pulp web in a direction transverse to the machine direction of the finished sheet, and means for spacing said individual folds in the machine direction of the finished sheet. f

6. In a machine for making a faced fibrous sheet, the combinationfof means for slitting a pulp web and means for laying down overlapping folds of said pulp web, and means for faclng said folds with a continuous moist pulp web.

7. In a multi-ply paper machine of the cylinder type, thecombination of a'conveyor continuously moving in a single direction, and a second continuously moving conveyor arranged above said conveyor, said second conveyor having its off-take roll above said first conveyor, and slitting means arranged between said off-take roll and said first conveyor. J

-8. In a multi-ply machine of the cylinder typel the combination of a moving conveyor, means for delivering a moist pulp web to said conveyor and forming overlapping folds of -said web on said conveyor, and means for slitting said web.

9. In a multiply paper machine of the cylinder type, the combination of a moving conveyor, a reciprocating feed device adapted to deliver a moist pulp Web to said conveyor in overlapping folds, and means for slitting said web.

cylinder type, the combination of a conveyor continuously moving in a single direction, a second continuously moving conveyor arranged above said conveyor, said second conveyor having its off-take roll above said first conveyor, and means for longitudinally Vsubdividing a Web fed from said second conveyor, said means being arranged between said off-take roll and said first conveyor'.

15. In a multi-ply machine of the cylinder means for delivering a moist pulp web to said conveyor and forming overlapping folds of said web on said conveyor, and means for longitudinally sub-dividing said web.

1.6. In a multi-ply paper machine of the cylinder type, a combination of a moving conveyor, a reciprocating feed device adapted to deliver a moist pulp web to said conveyor in overlapping folds, and means for longitudinally sub-dividing said vveb.V

In testimony-whereof I affix my signature.

RALPH L. LOOMIS.

lO. In a machine of the character described, means for longitudinally subdividing a moist pulp Web and means for laying down overlapping folds of said moist pulp p means for spacing said individual folds in the machine direction of the finished sheet.

18. In a machine for making a" faced fibrous sheet,` the combination of means for longitudinally subdividing a moist paper web, means for laying down overlapping folds of said pulp web, and means for facing said folds with a continuous pulp web.

14. In a multi-ply paper machine of the type, the combination of a moving conveyor, I 

